New
New
Year 1

Formation of m, n and r

I can form the letters m, n and r.

New
New
Year 1

Formation of m, n and r

I can form the letters m, n and r.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The letters are all formed by "going down, up and over".
  2. The letters m, n and r are all x-height letters.
  3. The letters m, n and r are in the same letter family.

Keywords

  • Letter families - groups of letters that look similar and belong to the same group

  • X-height letter - letters that reach the middle height on the line

  • Tramlines - straight, parallel lines that we can use as a guide to help us write neatly and keep our letters the same size

  • Baseline - this is the line that most letters sit on

Common misconception

Children can become confused with which direction to go when 'going over' for the m, n and r.

Explicit modelling and using a point in the classroom to direct the children. Check teacher tip.

To support students with the direction you can add an arrow on their whiteboard/paper to support them or you can pick a point in the classroom to help remind them. For example 'back up and over towards the classroom door'.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Select the correct formation of the letter u on the tramlines.
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q2.
Select the correct formation of the letter y on the tramlines.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q3.
Select the correct formation of the letter j on the tramlines.
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q4.
Select the letters m and n.
l
Correct answer: m
b
Correct answer: n
Q5.
Select the letter r.
m
Correct answer: r
u
a
Q6.
Match the word to the definition.
Correct Answer:ascenders,parts of the letter that go above the x-height line

parts of the letter that go above the x-height line

Correct Answer:baseline,the line that most letters sit on

the line that most letters sit on

Correct Answer:descender,parts of the letter that go below the baseline

parts of the letter that go below the baseline

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